February Goal

We welcome in February already this week and I have to get everyone on the same page for a specific goal this month. It may be a goal for the next couple of months as we get closer and closer to the end of the Baringa shed parcel contracts on June 30th. I have been promised the new contracts will be more financially sustainable, so this is a very important milestone for the business.

Right now we are spending too much in just about every area. Wages is the biggest cost we have in the company so it is a biggest area we need to keep an eye on. Right now, we are spending almost 10% too much on wages and contractor payments. If this continues over the next 5 months we will got too far behind really quickly. We all need to work together to help keep these numbers down and keep the company in business till June 30th. We ask that if you are approaching 30 hours on Thursday to speak to your team leader, so we can ensure you do not go into overtime too many times. We understand at times this is unavoidable, but to be constantly in it is not good. Especially when others seem to do more parcel numbers in less hours. We can do more assisting and mentoring to those who are not reaching hourly numbers etc. if required or wanted.

Obviously the transport contracts can't really do a huge amount to fix this issue but on the parcel side we need to make some changes. As of this week we will be delaying start times in the Baringa shed by 30 minutes on Tuesday to Friday. This means sorters will need to start 30 minutes later so the parcels wont be ready for everyone else till later in the morning as well. This is to avoid the down time we are seeing while we wait for the late truck. If we are still seeing down time we will have to delay start times even further.

If there is any chance you can to help others out instead of having down time while you are on the clock it is extremely important that you do so. Limiting sort time in the shed is the other big focus we will have for the Baringa shed this month. The sooner you leave the shed the less money we lose to sorting. Between starting later to eliminate down time and turning downtime into helping others get out sooner we can decrease wages to the place we need it to be.

As far as other parts of the contracts go, please let us know if you have a good way to help us cut wages in your section of the business safely. Safety is still the biggest focus, we don't want people cutting corners or doing things unsafely to save wages as that leads to costs increasing in other areas. For example, our tyre bill has increased by nearly 50% in the past 6 months compared to the same time last year. Please drive safely and don't push the limits of the tyres and your driving ability. When getting tyres, only get a wheel alignment IF needed, and not every tyre change.

Please be careful when driving, damage to the vehicles will be paid by you, the vans are not dodgem cars and we are unable to continue wearing costs for silly errors, we understand accidents happen, however with excess being large, we rely on your concentration and good driving to prevent these damages. Safety is our number one goal always, getting you home nightly is our priority.

If diverting from your normal route home, please remember to top up fuel at your own expense, and advise us of use of van.

If you do have a good idea that does work we have got access to some vouchers with some changes we have made in the business. So if there is a good idea that does save us some money I am more then happy to reward people with a voucher in return.

Remember, we all can do our own little bit to help save some money for the company and working together to avoid things like overtime and downtime will go a long way to making this company get through the next 5 months.

Thank you all for your efforts over Christmas and through the challenges of January. Lets make it a good February now, even with all the challenges we are about to face this month.

Peter